SMU Edges Out William & Mary To Move To The Quarterfinals

DALLAS (SMU)- No. 5 SMU advanced to their first NCAA men's soccer regional final since 2005 by edging No. 12 William & Mary 1-0 at Westcott Field on Sunday night. The Mustangs face No. 4 North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C. on December 3, 4, or 5 for a trip to the 2010 NCAA College Cup.

SMU scored the game's lone goal in the 11th minute when Robbie Derschang stole the ball from a William & Mary defender in the corner of the field, then subsequently fed the ball to Ian Kalis at the top of the circle. Kalis found Josue Soto who powered the ball into the net for his seventh goal of the season.

William & Mary's Nathaniel Baako had a goal disallowed with 25 seconds remaining in the contest, as the Tribe sent players forward in a desperate attempt to tie the score. Baako was ruled offside on his potential game-tying header, to allow SMU to survive the final scare.

The Mustangs dominated the flow of play, posting nine shots on goal to William & Mary's three. SMU played from a 4-4-2 formation, while the Tribe used a variation of the 4-3-3. The Mustangs improve to 16-2-1 on the year, while William & Mary finishes their season at 15-4-3.

William & Mary's best legal chance to level the score was in the 81st minute when James Lofton hit the woodwork from the left side of the six-yard box. Craig Hill had an otherwise uneventful night in net, despite making three saves.

Kekoa Osorio nearly doubled SMU's lead in the 13th minute when his long shot was bobbled twice by William & Mary keeper Andrew McAdams and the ball only inches outside the goal line.

The Mustangs team leader in goals, Juan Castillo, twice broke past the William & Mary defense to force a one-on-one against the keeper and just missed doubling SMU's lead each time, as the keeper parried the shot on his first break and as the shot skimmed wide on his second break. Arthur Ivo had two first-half shots which required good saves from McAdams to keep SMU from increasing their total.

Ben Hill and Payton Hickey also had excellent chances to increase SMU's lead, as Hill danced around two defenders in the 55th minute to free himself in the box, but had his attempt saved. Hickey nearly headed in a goal in the 30th minute as a cross from Zach Barnes just missed him in front of an open net. Hickey nearly scored in the 39th minute as he collected a A.J. Corrado rebound, but could not find the net.

SMU had an excellent chance in the 73rd minute when four SMU players had the ball within 15 yards of the goalmouth, but the Mustangs could not get a clean look around the Tribe defense.